Citing the UAPA Act, the police called it an act of terrorism. (file)
Mangaluru, Karnataka:
The National Investigation Agency has taken over the probe into the November 19 Mangaluru auto-rickshaw blast in which two people, including the prime suspect, were injured, officials said on Thursday.
The Islamic Resistance Council (IRC), a little-known organization, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the blast, saying that “one of its Mujahid brothers”, Mohammad Shariq, attempted to attack a “Hindutva temple in Qadri”. did.
The auto driver and alleged prime suspect Sharik were injured in the incident that took place under Kankanadi police station limits.
The police called it an act of terrorism, invoking a stringent provision of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and held passenger Shariq responsible for the incident.
The Karnataka government has written to the Union Home Ministry to get the incident probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
“Since it is a scheduled offense under section 6 of the NIA Act, 2008, the matter is being submitted for further necessary action,” the government wrote to the home ministry, recommending a probe by the agency.
Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood had said that the NIA and other central agencies have been working with the state police since day one to crack the case, even before formal instructions were received from the Centre.
As for the “premature explosion” of Sharik’s arrest, the IRC, in a message that went viral on social media, said that such possibilities exist with “all military and subversive operations”. Responding to the message, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar had said that the police is verifying the veracity of the stated organization and the contents of the message.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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